Most comets are thought to be the "left overs" of the formation of our solar system. It's quite possible that frozen inside material of comets may
be molecular compounds or even simple organisms that resulted in life here on Earth.

Better understand of comets (and other bodies in our solar system) can help us understand better what we may end up having to do one day: keep one
from impacting our planet and snuffing out a lot of (or all of) life here on Earth.

There is a reason why we call everything that orbits our sun the Solar System. In a system, everything has an influence on everything else.
Basic middle school science teaches that. My youngest son just learned about that in his science class.

Don't insult my intelligence. What about the systems here on Earth that have a REAL impact today right now. So a spec of organism from billions of
years ago is going to change the Earth. Here I thought trying to save our planet would make a difference, but my mistake understanding a comet will
save Earth one day maybe.

We could turn our eyes from the skies, stop all space exploration and all scientific discoveries and concentrate only the the Earth.

Except of course there are a few problems with that:

1) The sun has a major impact on the Earth. It's what drives our climate and can have very real effects on our magnetic field around the Earth. It
also is what helps produce ozone. The best way to observe and watch the sun is from space craft not only in Earth orbit but in orbit around the sun
itself. Something that we have now, and would not have been possible were it not for previous space exploration that helped develop the technology
that is used today to study the sun.

2) As I mentioned, an impactor has the capability to completely wipe out all life on our planet here. Without space exploration to understand other
bodies out in space that could possibly impact our planet, we won't know how to deal with it, and instead would have to make a guess. A guess which
could make things horribly worse. Not too long ago, we though all asteroids were the same basically: big chucks of metal and rock. Turns out, the
answer is no. There are many different kinds out there, and depending on what kind might threaten us may determine how we deal with it.
We only know this because we went out there and actually have studied them with things other than ground based instruments (orbital probes and space
probes).

3) Technology. Like that cell phone? Like the internet? Like how we track storms and weather patterns, ocean currents, and are even able to accurately
measure how fast the Earth's plates are moving? You can thank space exploration for those things too.

Again: there is no reason why humankind can not multitask. We can do all that you wish for the Earth, and still be exploring space too. Considering
that our rocky home is whizzing around the sun in space at 67,000 Mph, understand what is out there and what things are made of and how they behave is
important.

You're home just isn't the planet you're walking around on. Your home includes a star, several planets, and many other objects that orbit that
star.

Why don't we expand our knowledge to create less pollution? Or on getting more eco friendly homes more cost efficient. Or helping more people with
medical problems. There's a lot of knowledge we could gain that would help the human race right here on Earth. Not saying this isn't cool or anything
or a milestone in space exploration, but I think we need to get our ducks in a row here on Earth before we expand. Just not a lot of practical use.

It's all interconnected. The technology you create to go to and land on a comet creates spinoffs that can ultimately find applications on earth. The
Apollo program had lots of them, that resulted in practical applications in multiple fields. By doing something so difficult, we are increasing our
general knowledge base and that can almost always be applied for practical use on Earth. And considering we spend far more money in buying pizza,
going to casinos and then the treatment of gambling addiction than both the NASA and ESA budgets combined, it's money well spent.

We could turn our eyes from the skies, stop all space exploration and all scientific discoveries and concentrate only the the Earth.

Except of course there are a few problems with that:

1) The sun has a major impact on the Earth. It's what drives our climate and can have very real effects on our magnetic field around the Earth. It
also is what helps produce ozone. The best way to observe and watch the sun is from space craft not only in Earth orbit but in orbit around the sun
itself. Something that we have now, and would not have been possible were it not for previous space exploration that helped develop the technology
that is used today to study the sun.

2) As I mentioned, an impactor has the capability to completely wipe out all life on our planet here. Without space exploration to understand other
bodies out in space that could possibly impact our planet, we won't know how to deal with it, and instead would have to make a guess. A guess which
could make things horribly worse. Not too long ago, we though all asteroids were the same basically: big chucks of metal and rock. Turns out, the
answer is no. There are many different kinds out there, and depending on what kind might threaten us may determine how we deal with it.
We only know this because we went out there and actually have studied them with things other than ground based instruments (orbital probes and space
probes).

3) Technology. Like that cell phone? Like the internet? Like how we track storms and weather patterns, ocean currents, and are even able to accurately
measure how fast the Earth's plates are moving? You can thank space exploration for those things too.

Again: there is no reason why humankind can not multitask. We can do all that you wish for the Earth, and still be exploring space too. Considering
that our rocky home is whizzing around the sun in space at 67,000 Mph, understand what is out there and what things are made of and how they behave is
important.

You're home just isn't the planet you're walking around on. Your home includes a star, several planets, and many other objects that orbit that
star.

I harken back to the Global Warming crisis everyone falls all over and use that to try and get people to see this very same idea.

People are so hell bent on 'fixing' global warming, and i find THAT to be a waste of time, money, and resources. If we solve 'Global Warming', how
do we fix the Super Volcano that explodes 30 years afterwards? How do we stop the asteroid dead set on earth in a (hypothetical) 50 years? Ask the
dinosaurs about not paying attention to the celestial harm that is statistically going to effect us one day. To me we shouldnt be wasting our precious
time and resources on fixing one problem that only delays the inevitable.

The real problem we need to focus on is this species survival beyond an earth shattering extinction level event. That could happen in many forms, not
just a warming of our planet (which we could easily adapt to over any other cataclysmic situation), and that is what we should be focused on, and what
these little tests do. Now we know how to maneuver and land on fast moving small objects if need be to do a repair on a ship or catch a free ride to
somewhere else in space. The applications from this are many, and DOES effect our future.

If you cant see that, then I suggest you read up a little and learn how truly vast and dangerous space is, and how precious our moments are here on
earth. We werent always here, and we wont always be here. Thats one essential fact of our species, this ecosystem, that is in this brief moment able
to accommodate us, will come to an end, and I would hope we would prepare enough for our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to at
least live and try to make the world they live on a better place. Whether it be here or among the stars.

How so? Those are all things that were invented to solve the problems man faced in getting to the moon.

It may well have happened without the space race but certainly not at anything like that pace as unless a problem is set you cannot find the solution.
--

As for the immediate impact on Earth - well until a few years back Europe was busy waging war on itself, this landing demonstrates what we can
accomplish when we cooperate. It's a bit like questioning what was the point of discovering the wheel or fire.

originally posted by: Hellhound604
here is the first (UNCONFIRMED) pic of the surface as taken by Philae.

Apparently it bounced 3 times over 2 hours before coming to a rest...

I thought Comets were supposed to be made out of Ice.
Is that Ice?

Comets are believed to be made of dust and ice, but the ratios may vary from comet to comet. Some are dirty iceballs, and some are icy dirtballs.

Dirty ice may be hard to distinguish visually from rock. For example, the rocks boulders in this picture of Saturn's moon Titan taken by the Huygens
lander are most likely water-ice boulders, but mixed with other stuff:

Eh? The reason it's currently in Idle Mode is because we discovered the comet was bouncy instead of the ice and dust expected - it's transmitted all
the data it has so far collected including full lab analysis of the make-up of the comet, there's still loads of data to sift through while it
recharges its batteries and starts retransmitting again in a few days.

How something can be called a waste of time and money after having completed all it's tasks and having traveled 6.4Bn miles to land within a couple of
metres of the intended destination makes no sense whatsoever.

(CNN) -- After an improbable 10-year, 310-million-mile journey to become the first ever space vehicle to make a soft landing on a comet, the Philae
probe may have ended its mission prematurely.

Its batteries have run down, said the European Space Agency.

"Philae has fallen into 'idle mode' for a potentially long silence. In this mode, all instruments and most systems on board are shut down," ESA
said.

This might not change.

Philae was supposed to transmit data from Comet 67/P for nine months as it passed the sun, running on solar power, but it did not get its place in the
sunlight that scientists had hoped for.

It's possible that the conditions may change as the comet moves closer to the sun, making it possible to charge the secondary battery.

Then Philae could awaken from its deep slumber and send data and photo surprises back to Earth, ESA said.

Even with the lander out of commission, the Rosetta orbiter that carried the Philae lander will continue to transmit observations of the comet.

Gonna take a lot longer than a couple days! It landed on a rock, but it landed in a shadow. Get's only 1.5 hours of light a day. So you keep your
fingers crossed about a rock and I'll keep my eyes on things that matter more.

Please look up the definition of rock - this is not a rock, there is nothing rock like about it apart from appearances. This is a comet that has been
hurtling through space for billions of years. It way well hold the key to life on Earth if the water isotopes match - this isn't the trivial exercise
you seem to think it is.

Why would that be useful? Every comet has a different composition and weak points. Besides, that data can be extrapolated from the samples already
taken.

Cheers for the heads up on the film, never heard of it before but looks very funny.

HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much for discovery!!!!! Useless endeavor!!!!! Let's try again and spend 10x more money than last time

Seems like a really expensive way to check your math.

You cite a MSM article to pronounce a final verdict. Hilarious!

Why not head to the ESA blog, where things are told more coherently and completely?
www.esa.int...

Philae lander completed its main mission and returned a plethora of data that will be examined in the coming days, weeks, months. All of its
scientific instruments were activated, even the sample penetrator and the Alpha-X-ray-Spectrometer (APXS).
twitter.com...

And, of course, there's still the main Rosetta spacecraft, which is still orbiting the comet, still being in good "health", and still has a lot of
work to do in the name of science.

In-detail discussion about the Rosetta mission in general, and Philae lander in particular, can be found at the
Unmanned Spaceflight Forum.

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